jennifercasady27@webster.edu
It’s that time of the year when your son or daughter is hitting that invisible wall of stress. Over the next 5 weeks your student has major academic pressure to finish projects, study for approaching tests, and keep that grade from slipping down below a C. Additionally your student is no longer living in the honeymoon stage of their college experience. The idea that they can be best friends with everyone has faded and now your students are juggling finding out who their friends are, finding out who they are,and finding out what college is all about. This often leads to difficult conversations with your student’s friends which only adds to the pressure. On top of that, some students are balancing their jobs with school and social life. The cherry on the top of all this stress is the change in seasons and the approaching holidays. This all leads to a recipe for stress. If you were to talk to our school counselor, Dr. P. Stack, he would say that stress is needed in all of our lives. It is the continued excessive stress that we need to be aware of. So how can you help your student out as they finish the next 5 weeks of school? Below are a few tips and things to consider as you talk and support your student.
- Talk with your son or daughter about once a week and ask what is going on in their life. Ask what projects they are working on and what tests are looming in the background. If they sound frustrated, stressed that they don’t the class material, or overwhelmed, you have some great resources at your fingertips. Recommend that they set up an appointment at the Academic Resource Center or with Counseling Center. If your student says that they don’t have time to check out these resources, you can point out that it is better to spend the extra time to figure out how to work through these things now then to continually struggle the rest of the semester or year. a) The Academic Resource Center is a great place that helps students to develop study habits, provide assistance on writing papers, helps your student to become organized, and assists your student on good study tips. b) The Counseling Center is another great place for your student to go if they are feeling overly stressed, overwhelmed, and frustrated. Our counselors will help your student to work through their stress and help them to find productive ways to deal with it. Additionally the Counseling Center can help students that are struggling with depression, insomnia, stress, dealing with difficult friends, adjusting to college life, and more. The counselors are not scary people. They are people who happen to have a great understanding about these areas and can help students become more successful.
- Make sure your student is getting enough sleep. Students tend to think that instead of sleeping they should stay up and keep studying or working. You already know that isn’t a good idea but sometimes trying to help your student understand that is difficult. If you find out your student isn’t getting enough sleep because of school work, refer them to the Academic Resource Center or Counseling Center so they can gain skills to improve their study skills or time management. The more sleep they can get the productive they will be the next day. In turn if your student is consistently sleeping more than 8 hours be aware as that is also a sign of excessive stress.
- Send them mail! Students always enjoy getting fun mail. A card, a package with fun food, or a postcard from their little brother are all great things to send your student. These small acts help support your student and give them a break in their day to remember that you do support them.
- It is also that time of the year where your student will begin to register for classes. If your student is struggling with which classes to take, which major to select or switch to encourage them to talk to their advisor and other teachers or staff that they have built a connection to. These people can help your student discover the best course for him/her. Additionally they can get help at Career Services with class selection and selecting a major that fits with their strengths.
I hope that you find these tips helpful as you communicate with your student over the next few weeks. If you have any questions about how to help your student or resources on campus please check out our website at www.webster.edu/students/ or contact us at housing@webster.edu.
